JP5048977B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that includes a camera that can pivot at least in a vertical direction.

  This kind of imaging apparatus is introduced and installed in various applications, for example, as a surveillance camera in a bank, a station, a supermarket, a convenience store, a pachinko hall, and the like. Further, in recent years, since the opportunity of image transfer has increased due to the spread of the Internet, demand is also expected as a so-called web camera.

  In order to expand the monitoring area of a surveillance camera, in addition to the camera's vertical turning operation, the camera's horizontal turning operation is often caused (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-9264

  In the above-mentioned patent document, the television camera is pivotally supported so as to be able to rotate in the vertical direction, and the control circuit board is installed on the opposite side of the camera vertical shaft support portion, thereby reducing the size of the entire surveillance camera. However, there is a limit to downsizing the TV camera in the width direction due to the fact that both sides of the TV camera are used as a shaft support part and a substrate storage part, and there is still room for improvement in size reduction.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to promote downsizing of an imaging apparatus applicable to a surveillance camera or the like.

  In order to solve at least a part of the problems, an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention includes a pedestal having a built-in vertical turning drive source for a vertical turning operation of the camera, and a camera that can be turned in a vertical direction. And a camera frame with the imaging lens of the camera facing outward from the side of the frame. In addition, transmission of power for turning the camera in the vertical direction is separated from axial support and engagement of the camera frame with respect to the pedestal. Is transmitted to the camera frame through the arc-shaped side surface of the camera frame as power for the vertical turning operation of the camera. On the other hand, with respect to the shaft support and engagement of the camera frame with respect to the pedestal, the camera frame is attached to the pedestal around the axis of the shaft that penetrates the inside of the camera frame horizontally in the frame width direction by the shaft support engaging means. And engage with each other while pivoting in a vertical direction.

  The camera frame for holding the camera can have the arc-shaped frame side surface as described above over the entire circumference, and it is sufficient to have at least the arc-shaped frame side surface in the region including the range of the vertical turning motion of the camera. . In order to have an arcuate frame side surface over the entire circumference, it is convenient to make the camera frame an annular frame surrounding the camera. When the camera frame is an annular frame, it can be a circular annular body, for example, a tire-shaped frame, or an elliptical or other annular body. Further, when the arc-shaped frame side surface is set in the above-described range, the camera frame may have the arc-shaped frame side surface at the engaging portion by the shaft support engaging means.

  As a result, according to the imaging apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the pivotal support engagement of the camera frame is made by pivotal support means on the pedestal side, and the driving force is transmitted for the vertical turning operation of the camera frame. Even in this case, it can be performed on the side of the pedestal through the arc-shaped frame side surface of the camera frame. Therefore, on both side surfaces of the camera frame, there is no need to dispose drive devices that are involved in the vertical turning operation of the camera frame on an axis that penetrates the frame that is the turning axis horizontally in the width direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size around the camera frame.

  In this case, the camera frame has an arcuate shape in which the axis passing through the camera frame horizontally in the frame width direction is a vertical turning axis of the camera frame, and the arc-shaped side surface of the frame is centered on the vertical turning axis. It is preferable to provide as a side surface of the frame. In this way, as described above, the camera frame can be surrounded as a circular annular body frame such as a tire shape, so that the driving force can be transmitted when the driving force is transmitted through the side surface of the arc-shaped frame. Smooth.

  As described above, the vertical rotation axis is the axis that penetrates the inside of the camera frame horizontally in the frame width direction, and the drive force transmission of the vertical rotation drive source to the camera frame is transmitted to the camera frame via the side of the arc-shaped frame. There are also the following advantages. When the existing camera unit corresponding to the camera frame of the present invention is turned in the vertical direction, it is turned around the turning axis in the camera unit as described in Patent Document 1, and a turning axis is provided outside the camera unit. A mechanism for turning the camera unit can also be used. In a mechanism that employs a turning axis outside the camera unit, a large torque is required for turning the camera unit because the center of gravity of the camera unit and the turning axis are separated. Since the drive source capable of obtaining a large torque generally increases in size, the size of the device has not been reduced due to the increase in the size of the drive source.

  However, in the above-described imaging apparatus of the present invention, since the turning axis (vertical turning axis) of the camera frame is set inside the camera frame, the turning of the camera frame is the turning axis that coincides with the center of gravity of the camera frame or near the center of gravity. It turns around the axis of the turning axis. In addition, since the driving force is transmitted to the camera frame via the arc-shaped frame side surface with the turning axis as the center, the torque for turning can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the drive source, and thus the size of the device.

  In the imaging apparatus of the present invention described above, when the camera frame is pivotally supported, an axis that penetrates the inside of the camera frame horizontally in the frame width direction as the vertical turning axis can be used as the center of gravity of the camera frame. . In this way, when the driving force of the vertical turning drive source is transmitted to the camera frame through the side surface of the arcuate frame, the moment of the driving force transmission becomes constant, so that the vertical turning operation can be stabilized, By reducing the torque as described above, it is possible to reduce the size of the driving device, and further downsize the device. In order to make the vertical rotation axis of the camera frame coincide with the center of gravity of the camera frame, a weight that takes into account the weight of the camera that the camera frame surrounds can be attached to the camera frame. It is preferable without impairing the properties.

  Further, when transmitting the driving force by the vertical turning transmission means, a frame side surface gear train having an arcuate locus is disposed on the side surface of the arcuate frame, and the gear teeth of the frame side surface gear train are attached to the gear teeth of the frame side surface gear train. The pedestal side gear disposed on the side is meshed, and the driving force of the vertical turning drive source can be transmitted to the pedestal side gear. In this way, the driving force of the vertical turning drive source can be reliably transmitted to the camera frame via the arc-shaped frame side surface.

  In addition, when the camera frame is pivotally supported / engaged by the pivot engaging means, the camera frame is supported by a side surface of the arcuate frame using a roller, and the camera frame is vertically supported by the roller by the roller. The camera frame can also be urged against this roller after rolling around the direction turning axis. In this way, the camera frame can be stably rolled by the rollers, and the frame side gear train of the arcuate locus and the pedestal side gear can be securely screwed together, so that the camera frame and the camera can be securely connected. Can be swung vertically. It is more preferable if the frame side surface of the arc-shaped trajectory is an arc-shaped trajectory.

  Further, in addition to the vertical turning operation, the camera can also be turned in the horizontal direction. In order to cause the horizontal turning operation in this way, a ground plate for grounding the pedestal to the surface of the object to be installed of the imaging device, the vertical turning drive source, and the pivot support engaging means are provided. And a pedestal plate in which the vertical swivel transmission means is incorporated, plate pivot support means for pivoting the pedestal plate in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate, and the pedestal pivotally supported by the plate pivot support means So that the relative position of the pedestal plate around the pivot axis in the horizontal direction of the pedestal plate changes and the relative position of the pedestal plate around the pivot axis does not change. A horizontal swiveling gear mounted on the swiveling shaft or the ground plate and the camera frame engaged with the pedestal plate by the pivot support engaging means are connected to the pedestal push. A horizontal turning drive source for driving the turning in the horizontal direction integrally with the camera, and a horizontal turning transmission for transmitting a driving force of the horizontal turning drive source to the horizontal turning gear as a power for a turning operation in the horizontal direction of the camera. And the horizontal turning drive source can be arranged on the base plate together with the horizontal turning transmission means.

  In the above aspect, the pedestal has the ground plate and the pedestal plate, and both the plates are pivotally supported by the plate pivoting means so as to be pivotable in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate. Then, on the pedestal plate side, the shaft support engaging means and the vertical turning transmission means involved in the shaft support / engagement of the camera frame and the vertical turning operation are incorporated. As a result, the camera frame can turn in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate together with the pedestal plate in a state in which the camera frame can be vertically turned together with the camera. The power of this horizontal turning operation is transmitted from the horizontal turning drive source to the horizontal turning gear by the horizontal turning transmission means. The horizontal swivel gear is mounted on a horizontal swivel axis of a pedestal plate or the grounding plate, and a relative position of the pedestal plate around the swivel axis in the horizontal direction changes to change the grounding around the swivel axis. Since the relative position with respect to the plate does not change, the horizontal swivel transmission means on the side for transmitting power to the horizontal swivel gear and the horizontal swivel drive source are arranged around the swivel axis in the horizontal direction together with the pedestal plate to be disposed. Turn. As a result, the camera frame turns in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate together with the pedestal plate in a state in which the camera frame can be vertically turned together with the camera. Thus, according to the above aspect, the drive frame and the transmission mechanism necessary for vertical and horizontal turning are all gathered on the pedestal side, and the camera frame is turned together with the camera in the vertical and horizontal directions. Can do.

  Moreover, since the drive source and transmission mechanism involved in the horizontal rotation of the camera frame are independent of the pedestal, specifically the pivot support and engagement of the camera frame to the pedestal plate and the vertical rotation of the camera frame, Does not affect the equipment configuration around the frame. Accordingly, as described above, the camera, specifically, the camera frame can be turned in the vertical and horizontal directions while the size of the camera frame is reduced.

  Further, if the horizontal turning drive source and the vertical turning drive source are arranged so as to face each other with the plate shaft support mechanism sandwiched between them in a posture in which the respective output shafts are in the horizontal direction, Since it becomes easy to balance the weight of the plate, it is possible to stabilize the turning operation in the horizontal direction. In general, the length of the drive source in the direction of the output shaft is longer than the length in the direction perpendicular to the output shaft. Can be reduced. Therefore, since the device integration is further advanced, the size of the pedestal side is further reduced.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an overall image and operation when the imaging apparatus 100 of the embodiment is applied as a monitoring camera will be described. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the imaging apparatus 100 of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the imaging apparatus 100, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of the upper end of the tilt operation of the camera, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of one end of the pan operation of the camera, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state of the other end of the pan operation of the camera.

  As shown in these drawings, the imaging apparatus 100 enables the camera to turn in the vertical direction (tilt operation) and turn in the horizontal direction (pan operation) in order to extend the imaging range as a surveillance camera. A pedestal 110 to be installed on an installation object such as a camera, and a camera surrounding frame 200 located on the pedestal 110. The pedestal 110 includes a pedestal base portion 112 on the installation object side and a frame engagement portion 114 on the upper side thereof, and the frame engagement portion 114 can be turned in the horizontal direction with respect to the pedestal base portion 112 by a drive mechanism configuration described later. Prepare for. The pedestal base 112 includes a display unit 113 that displays the driving status of the apparatus with a light emitting device (LED) in the center of the front surface, and both sides of the display unit are infrared light receiving units 115 and the entire circumference of the side surface is covered with a cover 116. Yes. The frame engaging portion 114 is covered with spherical arc covers 117L and 117R (see FIG. 2) whose upper and side surfaces are divided into left and right, and the both covers are rotated in the horizontal direction with respect to the pedestal base 112. As will be described later, the rear end side of the pedestal base 112 serves as a connector installation location for exchanging signals with the outside.

  The camera surrounding frame 200 includes a frame casing 210 having a hollow tire-like shape and a camera (CCD camera) 202, and surrounds the camera 202 with the frame casing 210 so that the camera body is located in the hollow portion. In addition, the camera surrounding frame 200 has the imaging lens 203 of the camera 202 facing outward from the frame side surface of the frame housing 210. The camera surrounding frame 200 is pivotally engaged with the frame engaging portion 114 as described later, and pivots in the vertical direction with respect to the frame engaging portion 114. The vertical turning axis of the camera surrounding frame 200 in this case is an axis that penetrates the inside of the camera surrounding frame 200 horizontally in the frame width direction, and is the central axis of the frame casing 210 that has a tire-like shape. Moreover, this vertical turning axis is an axis that coincides with the center of gravity of the camera surrounding frame 200 including the camera 202 or an axis in the vicinity of the center of gravity. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the vertical turning axis is referred to as TJ. In the present embodiment, the frame housing 210 incorporates a weight (not shown) inside the frame opposite to the lens of the camera 202, so that the center axis (vertical pivot axis TJ) of the frame housing 210 having a tire-like shape is formed. ) Was made to coincide with the center of gravity of the camera surrounding frame 200 including the camera 202.

  When the imaging apparatus 100 having the pedestal 110 and the camera surrounding frame 200 is set to the origin posture in the state shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the camera surrounding frame 200, specifically, the camera 202 is about 30. Tilt up and down within the range of °. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the imaging apparatus 100 pans the camera 202 left and right within the range of about 90 ° with respect to the pedestal base 112 together with the frame engaging portion 114 together with the camera surrounding frame 200.

  Next, a device configuration that causes such a pan / tilt operation will be described. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the state of the shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 together with the pedestal 110, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the frame engagement portion 114 involved in the shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 in an exploded manner. FIG. 9 and FIG. 9 are exploded perspective views of the main part showing the device configuration involved in the pan operation of the frame engaging portion 114 in the pedestal 110.

  As shown in these drawings, the pedestal base 112 of the pedestal 110 is configured by covering the ground plate unit 120 with a cover 116. As shown in FIG. 9, the ground plate unit 120 is configured by arranging upper and lower plates facing each other and fixing both plates, and includes a lower ground plate 121 and an upper substrate plate 122. The grounding plate 121 is a plate that functions as a skeleton of the pedestal base 112 and by extension, the pedestal 110, and is fixed to the cover 116 and then attached to the surface of a grounded object such as a desk via a leg (not shown) on the back side. Ground. The substrate plate 122 is a plate in which an electronic device to be exchanged is grounded on a plate peripheral side that does not interfere with a pedestal plate unit 130 described later, and is fixed to the ground plate 121 at a predetermined interval.

  The frame engaging portion 114 of the pedestal 110 is configured by covering the pedestal plate unit 130 with left and right covers 117L and 117R. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pedestal plate unit 130 is configured by overlapping upper and lower plates so as to overlap each other, and includes a lower motor mounting plate 131 and an upper pedestal plate 132. The pedestal plate 132 functions as a skeleton of the frame engaging portion 114 in the pedestal 110 and is also involved in the pivotal engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200. The pedestal plate 132 has the following configuration for the shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200.

  The pedestal plate 132 has a fixed plate portion 133 that is depressed in the center, and both ends are mounting portions 134 of a spring unit 150 described later. The pedestal plate 132 includes a mounting hole 136 for the turning shaft fitting part 135 of the motor mounting plate 131 in the fixed plate portion 133, and the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 are provided at the base of the mounting portion 134. Projecting from the upper surface of the mounting portion 134. The first roller 141 and the second roller 142, and the third roller 143 and the fourth roller 144 are arranged in a row, and these rollers are a row of the first roller 141 and the second roller 142, and a third roller 143. And the roller array of the fourth roller 144 support the camera surrounding frame 200 on the frame side surface of the frame housing 210. In this case, the first roller 141 is mounted via the spring pedestal 145 so as to be able to sink and repel.

  The spring unit 150 that is mounted and fixed to the mounting portion 134 includes left and right mounting portions 151 and a central flat plate portion 152, and a spring leg 153 is formed by bending a portion related to the mounting portion 151 from the flat plate portion 152. The spring unit 150 includes a pressing roller 154 that is pivotally supported by a roller box 155 on the back surface side of the flat plate portion 152. The spring unit 150 is mounted across the camera surrounding frame 200 so that the pressing roller 154 of the flat plate portion 152 presses the inner peripheral side frame side surface of the frame casing 210 of the camera surrounding frame 200, and is attached to the mounting portion 134. It is fixed. Therefore, the camera surrounding frame 200 is pivotally engaged with the frame engaging portion 114 of the pedestal 110, specifically, the pedestal plate unit 130 as follows. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing the state of the pivotal engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing the main part of the pivotal engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 from the rear side of the apparatus. It is explanatory drawing.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the camera surrounding frame 200 includes stepped roller grounding edges 211 on the outer peripheral edges on both sides of the frame housing 210, and one roller grounding edge 211 serves as the first roller 141 and the second roller 142. The roller contact circumference of the third roller 143 and the fourth roller 144 is set to the roller contact circumference of the other roller contact edge 211. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the camera surrounding frame 200 is supported by the spring legs 153 and the pressing rollers 154 of the spring unit 150 while supporting the outer peripheral arc-shaped frame side surfaces with the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144. The first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 are biased. The camera surrounding frame 200 supported in this manner rolls (that is, turns) with the center of the camera surrounding frame 200 determined by the arc on the side surface of the outer peripheral frame as the vertical turning axis TJ. That is, in this embodiment, the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 of the base plate 132 and the spring unit 150 having the pressing roller 154 have a central axis that penetrates the inside of the camera surrounding frame 200 horizontally in the frame width direction. A pivotal engagement means for engaging the camera surrounding frame 200 while pivotally supporting the camera surrounding frame 200 with respect to the pedestal 110, specifically, the pedestal plate 132 of the frame engagement portion 114, is used as the vertical turning axis TJ of the camera 202.

  Since the first roller 141 can be sunk and repelled by the spring pedestal 145, the camera surrounding frame 200 even if the roller surfaces of the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 are slightly elevated in the free state. Will turn (tilt) in the vertical direction without tilting left or right. Each roller contacts the roller grounding edge 211 on both outer edges of the frame housing 210, and the roller grounding edge 211 on both sides has a stepped shape, so that the camera surrounding frame 200 is inadvertent during tilting operation. Does not shift left or right. The rollers and the spring unit 150 are covered with covers 117L and 117R that are attached and fixed to the base plate 132. The covers 117L and 117R include curved pieces 118L and 118R projecting from the upper surfaces thereof, and the curved side pieces cover the frame side surface on the rear side of the camera surrounding frame 200.

  Next, a driving source and a driving force transmission mechanism for the pan / tilt operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 will be described. The pedestal 110 has a pedestal plate unit 130, more specifically, a motor mounting plate 131 of the unit, and a tilting motor 160 and a panning motor 162. Both the motors are servo motors and rotate forward and backward according to the number of input pulses.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 8 and 9, the motor mounting plate 131 fixed to the pedestal plate 132 of the pedestal plate unit 130 has a U-shape, and includes a fixed plate portion 163 and motor fixing plate portions at both ends thereof. 164, 165. The two motor fixing plate portions face each other with the fixing plate portion 163 interposed therebetween. The tilt motor 160 is installed on the motor fixing plate portion 164 in the posture as shown in the drawing with the output shaft being in the horizontal direction, and the output shaft is in the horizontal direction even in the pan motor 162. The motor fixing plate unit 165 is installed in a posture as shown.

  In addition, the motor fixing plate portions 164 and 165 incorporate a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the two motors. That is, a tilt worm gear shaft 170 is pivotally supported on one end side of the motor mounting plate 131, and the driving force of the tilt motor 160 is transmitted through a transmission mechanism 171 having a pulley and a timing belt, and then the tilt worm gear shaft. 170. Since the tilt worm gear shaft 170 is screwed into the tilt rotation gear 172, the driving force of the tilt motor 160 is driven by the tilt rotation gear 172 via the transmission mechanism 171 and the tilt worm gear shaft 170. And the tilt rotation gear 172 rotates forward and backward as the motor rotates.

  The target for screwing of the tilt rotation gear 172 is formed in the camera surrounding frame 200. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the camera surrounding frame 200 has a frame side surface gear with an arcuate trajectory centered on the vertical turning axis TJ on the arcuate frame side surface on the outer peripheral side of the frame housing 210. A column 220 is provided. As described above, the camera surrounding frame 200 tilts and rotates the frame side surface gear train 220 of the arcuate locus in a state where the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 and the spring unit 150 are pivotally engaged with each other. Screwed to the gear 172. Therefore, the driving force of the tilting motor 160 is vertical as the power of the turning operation of the camera surrounding frame 200, that is, the camera 202, by the transmission mechanism 171, the tilting worm gear shaft 170, the tilting rotation gear 172, and the frame side surface gear train 220. It is transmitted to the camera surrounding frame 200 via the side surface of the arcuate frame centering on the direction turning axis TJ. Therefore, the transmission mechanism 171, the tilt worm gear shaft 170, the tilt rotation gear 172, and the frame side surface gear train 220 constitute the vertical turning transmission means in the present application. Then, the camera surrounding frame 200 rotates forward and backward with the camera 202 about the vertical rotation axis TJ as indicated by an arrow X in FIG.

  A mounting hole 166 having the same shape as the mounting hole 136 in the fixed plate portion 133 of the pedestal plate 132 is formed in the fixed plate portion 163 of the motor arrangement plate 131 between the two motor fixed plate portions. The pivot shaft fitting part 135 is mounted and fixed in the mounting hole 136 and the mounting hole 166 in the pedestal plate unit 130 to which the motor arrangement plate 131 and the pedestal plate 132 are fixed. The turning shaft fitting part 135 includes a through hole 135a, and a horizontal turning shaft 125 protruding from the ground plate 121 in the base 110 of the base 110 is fitted into the through hole 135a. Therefore, this turning axis fitting part 135 fulfills the function of supporting the turning axis around the horizontal direction turning axis of the motor mounting plate 131 and the pedestal plate 132, and further the pedestal plate unit 130, which are to be fixed. Therefore, the pivot shaft fitting part 135 is a plate pivot support means for pivotally pivoting the pedestal plate unit 130 having the motor arrangement plate 131 and the pedestal plate 132 with respect to the ground plate 121 of the pedestal base 112 in a horizontal direction. Configure. The tilting motor 160 and the panning motor 162 fixed to the motor fixing plate portions 164 and 165 sandwich the swivel axis fitting part 135 in the pedestal plate unit 130 with the respective output shafts set in the horizontal direction. Will be placed opposite each other. In this case, since the frame engaging portion 114 having the pedestal plate unit 130 on which both motors are arranged is a part of the pedestal 110, the pedestal 110 incorporates a tilting motor 160 and a panning motor 162. It will be.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a pan worm gear shaft 173 is pivotally supported on the other end of the motor mounting plate 131, and the driving force of the pan motor 162 is a pulley / timing belt. Is transmitted to the pan worm gear shaft 173 through the transmission mechanism 174 having the. The worm gear shaft 173 for pan is screwed with the gear 175 for pan rotation on the pedestal base 112 side. As shown in FIG. 9, the pan rotation gear 175 is fixed to the ground plate 121 so as to be concentric with the horizontal turning shaft 125 protruding from the ground plate 121 of the pedestal base 112. A fixing plate 176 is used for fixing the gear.

  The pan rotation gear 175 fixed to the ground plate 121 in this way is positioned on the ground plate 121 side between the pedestal plate unit 130 and the ground plate 121 that are pivotally supported via the turning shaft fitting part 135. The gear teeth on the outer periphery of the pan rotation gear 175 are for panning on the motor mounting plate 131 of the pedestal plate unit 130 that is pivotable in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate 121 via the pivot shaft fitting part 135. The worm gear shaft 173 is screwed. For this reason, the driving force of the pan motor 162 installed on the motor mounting plate 131 of the pedestal plate unit 130 is transmitted to the pan rotation gear 175 by the transmission mechanism 174 and the pan worm gear shaft 173.

  At this time, the pan rotation gear 175 is fixed to the grounding plate 121, and the pedestal plate unit 130 can pivot about the horizontal pivot 125 with respect to the grounding plate 121. With the rotation driving, the pedestal plate unit 130 turns in the horizontal direction around the pan rotation gear 175, that is, around the horizontal turning shaft 125. In other words, the driving force of the pan motor 162 is used as the power for the horizontal turning operation of the pedestal plate unit 130 and the camera surrounding frame 200 pivotally engaged with the unit as described above. Will be transmitted to. Further, the pan rotation gear 175 has a relative position with respect to the pedestal plate unit 130 around the axis of the horizontal rotation axis 125 by the rotation of the pedestal plate unit 130 around the pan rotation gear accompanying the driving of the pan motor 162. It is not changed, and the relative position with respect to the ground plate 121 around the axis of the horizontal turning shaft 125 is not changed.

  Next, another configuration related to the tilt operation / pan operation of the camera 202 included in the camera surrounding frame 200 will be described. Since the pedestal base 112 of the pedestal 110 remains in contact with an installation object such as a desk and does not turn in the horizontal direction, the forward end of the horizontal turning operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 and the frame engaging portion 114 is further improved. A pan motion sensor 126 (see FIG. 9) for selecting the reverse end is provided on the upper surface of the substrate plate 122. This pan motion sensor 126 incorporates a proximity sensor in the opening. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the pedestal plate 132 of the pedestal plate unit 130, an advancing end side detecting protrusion 129F (see FIG. 12) that defines the advancing end of the pan operation and a retreating end side detecting protrusion that defines the advancing end of the pan operation And a piece 129B (see FIG. 12). Then, the pan operation sensor 126 issues a signal indicating that the detection protrusion has come to the forward end / reverse end of the pan operation by entering the opening. As for the tilting operation, the frame engaging portion 114 of the pedestal 110 that is pivotally engaged so as to perform the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 as described above is tilted to the pedestal plate 132 of the pedestal plate unit 130 that is a constituent member thereof. It has a sensor 138 (see FIG. 7). Even in this tilt motion sensor 138, a proximity sensor is built in the opening, and the forward end side detection protrusion 222F and the backward end detection protrusion 222B on the frame side surface of the camera surrounding frame 200 shown in FIG. By entering the opening, a signal indicating that it has reached the forward end / reverse end of the tilting operation is issued.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 of the present embodiment together with the outline of the constituent devices. As shown in the figure, the imaging apparatus 100 includes a control apparatus 300 that controls the entire apparatus. The control device 300 is mainly configured by a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is connected to an external general control device and a monitor device (not shown) so as to exchange signals. The imaging apparatus 100 has a DC power connector 302, an input connector 304 for a control signal (RS-232C compliant signal) with the overall control device, an output connector 306, a video signal (S video signal) on the rear end side of the pedestal base 112. ) An output connector 308 and a video signal (RCA signal) output connector 310 are provided, and the control device 300 is connected to these connectors.

  The control device 300 configures a power supply circuit, a video signal output circuit, a motor drive circuit, an LED light emission circuit, and the like. The power supply circuit controls application of a DC voltage supplied via the DC power supply connector 302 to a camera, a motor, or the like. The video signal output circuit controls the output of the imaging signal of the camera 202 to the outside via the S video signal output connector 308 and the RCA signal output connector 310. The motor driving circuit is based on a signal from the infrared light receiving unit 115 to which an infrared signal from the remote controller R is input or a control signal input through the input connector 304, and a tilt motor 160 or a pan motor. 162 is driven and controlled to control the tilting and panning operations of the camera 202. The LED light emitting circuit controls the display of the display unit 113 based on the power on / off signal. Note that the electronic device products constituting the control device 300 are arranged on the substrate plate 122 in the pedestal base 112 so as not to interfere with the horizontal rotation of the pedestal plate unit 130 as described above.

  The imaging apparatus 100 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration has the following advantages. In the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when the camera 202 included in the camera surrounding frame 200 is tilted, a driving source for the tilting operation is applied to the pedestal 110, specifically to the pedestal plate unit 130 of the frame engaging portion 114 included in the pedestal 110. The tilting motor 160 is built in, and the camera 202 is surrounded by the camera surrounding frame 200 so that the imaging lens faces the outside. In addition, the arrangement of the driving force of the tilting motor 160 for the tilting operation of the camera 202 and the configuration relating to the pivot support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 having the camera 202 that can be tilted are arranged in the apparatus. From the point, it was separated as follows.

  That is, when transmitting the driving force of the tilt motor 160, the transmission mechanism 171 involved in the driving force transmission, the tilt worm gear shaft 170, and the tilt rotation gear 172 are connected to the devices involved in the shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200. Are separately incorporated in the frame engaging portion 114 of the pedestal 110 (specifically, the motor mounting plate 131 of the pedestal plate unit 130). The camera surrounding frame 200 having a tire shape has a frame side surface gear train 220 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) provided on the outer peripheral side of the frame, and a tilt rotation gear 172 on the base plate unit 130 side. And the driving force of the tilting motor 160 is transmitted. On the other hand, when the camera surrounding frame 200 having a tire shape is pivotally engaged so that the camera surrounding frame 200 can be tilted about the vertical turning axis TJ which is the center thereof, the first rollers 141 to 141 which are involved in this pivotal engagement. The fourth roller 144 and the spring unit 150 are incorporated in the frame engaging portion 114 of the pedestal 110 (specifically, the pedestal plate 132 of the pedestal plate unit 130) separately from the above-mentioned devices involved in driving force transmission, Thus, the camera surrounding frame 200 can be rolled (that is, tilted).

  As described above, in the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the camera surrounding frame 200 is engaged with the pedestal 110, and more specifically, the frame is engaged with the pedestal 110 in order to realize the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 surrounding the camera 202. It is sufficient that the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 incorporated in the frame engagement portion 114 are engaged with the portion 114 while being pivotally supported by the spring unit 150. Achieved on the side. As a result, according to the imaging apparatus 100, on both side surfaces of the camera surrounding frame 200, the devices involved in the shaft support engagement with the shaft support of the camera surround frame 200 and the pedestal 110 and the drive on the vertical turning axis TJ. Since the device can be made useless, the configuration around the camera surrounding frame 200 can be reduced in size. 1 to 6, the camera surrounding frame 200 can be pivotally supported / engaged with the pedestal 110 below the frame 110 so that the camera surrounding frame 200 is substantially exposed. Space saving on both sides of the camera surrounding frame 200 can be achieved.

  Further, in this embodiment, the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 incorporated in the frame engaging portion 114 and the spring unit 150 are used to pivotally engage the camera surrounding frame 200 on the side surface of the frame, thereby forming an arc shape. The center axis of the camera surrounding frame 200 determined by the side of the frame is defined as a vertical turning axis TJ. Therefore, the center of gravity of the camera surrounding frame 200 that causes the tilting operation can coincide with or be close to the vertical turning axis TJ. In addition, since the driving force of the tilting operation is transmitted to the camera surrounding frame 200 via the frame side surface gear train 220 of the arcuate locus, the motor torque at the time of causing the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 can be reduced. It is possible to promote downsizing of the tilting motor 160, space saving of the motor mounting portion, and downsizing of the apparatus. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the vertical turning axis TJ coincides with the center of gravity of the camera surrounding frame 200, the driving force of the tilting motor 160 is transmitted to the camera surrounding frame 200 via the frame side gear train 220 of the arcuate locus. When doing so, the moment of driving force transmission can be made constant. Therefore, in addition to the torque reduction described above, the tilt operation can be stabilized.

  Further, when the driving force is transmitted to the camera surrounding frame 200, the frame side gear train 220 having an arcuate locus on the side surface of the frame and the tilt rotation gear 172 meshing with the frame side gear train 220 are used. In addition, the reliability of the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 and thus the camera 202 is enhanced. In addition, the frame side gear train 220 can be reliably screwed to the tilt rotation gear 172 by the urging of the camera surrounding frame 200 by the spring unit 150 toward each roller, so that this is also stable from this point. Tilt operation can be realized.

  In addition, when the camera surrounding frame 200 is pivotally engaged with the frame engaging portion 114, the camera surrounding frame 200 can be rolled by the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 incorporated in the frame engaging portion 114. Above, the camera surrounding frame 200 was urged toward the roller by the spring unit 150. For this reason, since the camera surrounding frame 200 can be stably rolled by the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144, the camera surrounding frame 200, and hence the camera 202 can be reliably tilted. In addition, since the first roller 141 can be sunk and repelled by the spring base 145, the camera surrounding frame 200 can be tilted without inadvertently tilting left and right. Can also be an image directly facing the object to be imaged.

  In addition, since the first roller 141 to the fourth roller 144 are arranged so as to be in contact with the stepped roller grounding edge 211 on both outer edges of the frame housing 210, the camera surrounding frame 200 is inadvertently shifted left and right. Tilt operation can be performed so that the Therefore, also from this point, it is preferable in obtaining a captured image facing the object to be imaged.

  Further, in the imaging apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the camera 202 is panned together with the camera surrounding frame 200 in addition to the tilting operation of the camera 202 with the camera surrounding frame 200 interposed. In order to cause such a panning operation, the pedestal 110 to be engaged with the shaft support of the camera surrounding frame 200 is separated into a pedestal base 112 on the side of the installation target such as a desk and a frame engaging portion 114. The grounding plate 121 that is grounded to the surface of the installation object is incorporated in the pedestal base 112, and the pedestal plate unit 130 is incorporated in the frame engaging portion 114. In addition, the motor mounting plate 131 of the pedestal plate unit 130 incorporates a tilting motor 160 that is a driving source for the tilting operation and a panning motor 162 for the panning operation. Various devices such as a pivot shaft fitting part 135 for pivotally supporting the ground plate 121 so as to be pivotable in the horizontal direction and a transmission mechanism 174 involved in driving force transmission of both motors are also incorporated in the base plate unit 130. did. In addition, with respect to the pan rotation gear 175 that is a target for transmitting the driving force of the pan motor 162, the gear is interposed between the base plate unit 130 and the ground plate 121 that are pivotally supported via the turning shaft fitting part 135. And the pan rotation gear 175 is fixed to the ground plate 121 side so that the relative position with the pedestal plate unit 130 is the relative position around the axis of the horizontal turning shaft 125. To change.

  The camera surrounding frame 200 is integrated with the frame engaging portion 114 having the pedestal plate unit 130 in a state in which the camera surrounding frame 200 can be tilted together with the camera 202 because the camera 202 has the above-described configuration to cause the panning operation of the camera 202. Then, the pedestal base 112 having the ground plate 121 is swung horizontally (panning operation). That is, the tilt motor / pan motor 162 drive source, tilt side / pan side transmission mechanism 174 and the like necessary for the tilt operation / pan operation of the camera 202 are all on the pedestal 110 side, more specifically, the frame of the pedestal 110. The camera surrounding frame 200 can be tilted and panned together with the camera 202 after being concentrated on the engaging portion 114 side.

  In addition, the pan motor 162, the transmission mechanism 174, and the pan worm gear shaft 173 involved in the pan operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 are supported by the pedestal 110, specifically the shaft support / engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 with the pedestal plate unit 130. Since it is independent of the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200, it does not affect the device configuration such as the shaft support engagement and driving force transmission for the tilting operation of the camera surrounding frame 200. Therefore, as described above, the tilting operation and the panning operation of the camera 202, more specifically, the camera surrounding frame 200, can be achieved without hindrance after downsizing the periphery of the camera surrounding frame 200.

  In addition, when the above-mentioned devices involved in the tilting operation and panning operation of the camera surrounding frame 200 are concentrated on the base plate unit 130, the grounding plate 121 on the base base 112 side, the base plate unit 130, and the pan rotation With respect to the positional relationship with the gear 175, the pan rotation gear 175 is positioned on the ground plate 121 side between the base plate unit 130 and the ground plate 121. Therefore, the pan rotation gear 175 does not restrict device aggregation in the base plate unit 130. As a result, according to the image pickup apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, device integration in the pedestal plate unit 130 proceeds, and for example, both drive sources for tilt operation and pan operation can be arranged almost completely overlapping in a horizontal view. Thus, the space around the pedestal plate unit 130 can be saved, and the apparatus can be downsized.

  Further, the tilt motor 160 and the pan motor 162 are placed in a posture in which the respective output shafts are in the horizontal direction, and in the pedestal plate unit 130, more specifically, the rotating shaft fitting part 135 is sandwiched in the motor arrangement plate 131. It was made to oppose (refer FIGS. 7-9). Therefore, it becomes easy to balance the weight of the pedestal plate unit 130 when the motor is installed, so that the pan operation can be stabilized. In general, since the length of the motor in the direction of the output shaft is longer than the length in the direction perpendicular to the output shaft, the motor is incorporated by the horizontal arrangement of the motors with the output shaft in the horizontal direction as described above. Space can be reduced. Therefore, since device integration further proceeds, the pedestal 110 can be further reduced in size.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to above-described embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, it is possible to implement in various aspects. For example, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the configuration in which the panning operation is possible in addition to the tilting operation of the camera 202 has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to an imaging apparatus that performs only the tilting operation of the camera 202. Further, the imaging apparatus 100 can be applied as a web camera in addition to the monitoring camera.

  In the description of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming that a desk or the like is placed. However, the imaging apparatus 100 may be installed so that the pedestal 110 is fixed to the ceiling. In this case, the spring leg 153 of the spring unit 150 may be configured to exert a spring force that can urge the camera surrounding frame 200 toward the respective rollers while supporting the camera surrounding frame 200.

Furthermore, in the imaging apparatus 100 of the above-described embodiment, the camera surrounding frame 200 is formed in a tire shape that is an arcuate annular body, but is not limited thereto. FIG. 13 is a side view of the imaging apparatus 100 showing a deformed shape of the camera surrounding frame 200. As shown in the figure, the camera surrounding frame 200 is a frame in which the frame portion above the camera 202 is omitted, and the side surface of the arc-shaped frame is a range including the range of the tilt operation angle of the camera 202 and is related to the frame. It is provided over the range of the previously described pivot support engagement at the joint portion 114.

  In addition, although the camera surrounding frame 200 has a tire-like shape, the side surface of the frame has an arc shape. However, the camera surrounding frame 200 may have an arc-shaped frame side surface such as an oval shape or an oval shape.

  In addition, when the imaging apparatus 100 is electrically configured, the control apparatus 300 may be a hardware configuration conforming to USB (Universal Serial Bus), and a USB connector may be mounted instead of an RS-232C compliant connector. . In addition, the control device 300 has a hardware configuration conforming to a LAN (Local Area Network) regardless of wired or wireless, and the imaging device 100 can be remotely operated from an external computer or the like, or a captured image of the camera 202 can be displayed by a wired or wireless LAN. It can also be configured to output via

It is a front perspective view of imaging device 100 of an example. 2 is a side view of the imaging apparatus 100. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the mode of the tilt operation | movement upper end of a camera. It is a perspective view which shows the mode of the tilt operation | movement lower end of a camera. It is a perspective view which shows the mode of the pan operation | movement one end of a camera. It is a perspective view which shows the mode of the pan operation | movement other end of a camera. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state of shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 together with a pedestal 110. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a frame engaging portion 114 that is involved in the pivotal support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 in an exploded manner. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a main part showing a device configuration involved in a panning operation of a frame engaging portion 114 in a pedestal 110. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state of shaft support engagement of a camera surrounding frame 200. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the principal part of the shaft support engagement of the camera surrounding frame 200 by a perspective view from the apparatus back side. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment together with outlines of components. 2 is a side view of the imaging apparatus 100 showing a deformed shape of a camera surrounding frame 200. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Imaging device 110 ... Base 112 ... Base base 113 ... Display part 114 ... Frame engaging part 115 ... Infrared light-receiving part 116 ... Cover 117L, 117R ... Cover 118L, 118R ... Curved piece 120 ... Grounding plate unit 121 ... Grounding plate 122 ... Substrate plate 125 ... Horizontal rotation axis 126 ... Pan motion sensor 129B ... Backward end side detection protrusion 129F ... Advance end side detection protrusion 130 ... Pedestal plate unit 131 ... Motor mounting plate 132 ... Pedestal plate 133 ... Fixed plate part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 134 ... Mounting part 135 ... Swing axis fitting part 135a ... Through-hole 136 ... Mounting hole 138 ... Tilt motion sensor 141 ... 1st roller 142 ... 2nd roller 143 ... 3rd roller 144 ... 4th roller 145 ... Spring base 150 ... Spring unit 151... Mounting portion 15 ... Flat plate part 153 ... Spring leg 154 ... Pressing roller 155 ... Roller box 160 ... Tilt motor 162 ... Pan motor 163 ... Fixing plate part 164 ... Motor fixing plate part 165 ... Motor fixing plate part 166 ... Mounting hole 170 ... For tilting Worm gear shaft 171 ... Transmission mechanism 172 ... Tilt rotation gear 173 ... Pan worm gear shaft 174 ... Transmission mechanism 175 ... Pan rotation gear 176 ... Fixed plate 200 ... Camera enclosure frame 202 ... Camera 203 ... Imaging lens 210 ... Frame housing 211 ... Roller ground edge 220 ... Frame side surface gear train 222B ... Backward end side detection protrusion 222F ... Advance end side detection protrusion 230 ... Shaft support hole 232 ... Bearing 300 ... Control device 302 ... DC power supply connector 304 ... Input connector 306 ... Power connector 308 ... video signal (S video signal) output connector 310 ... video signal (RCA signal) output connector R ... remote controller TJ ... vertical pivot axis

Claims (8)

An imaging device equipped with a camera that can pivot in a vertical direction,
A pedestal containing a vertical turning drive source for vertical turning movement of the camera;
A frame for holding the camera, wherein the camera imaging lens is directed from the side of the frame to the outside; and
A shaft support engaging means for engaging the camera frame while pivotally supporting the camera frame so as to be pivotable in a vertical direction around an axis of a shaft passing through the inside of the camera frame horizontally in the frame width direction;
Wherein the driving force of the vertical rotation driving source, a power in the vertical direction of the pivoting movement of the camera, Bei example a vertical pivot transmission means for transmitting the arc-shaped the frame side the camera frame through of the camera frame has,
The pivot engaging means is
A roller for supporting the camera frame on the side surface of the arcuate frame, the roller rolling about the axis passing through the camera frame horizontally;
An imaging device having an urging unit that urges the camera frame against the roller . The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
The camera frame is
The axis that horizontally penetrates the camera frame in the frame width direction is used as a vertical turning axis of the camera frame, and the arc-shaped side surface of the frame is provided as an arcuate frame side surface around the vertical turning axis. . The imaging apparatus according to claim 2,
Wherein said shaft penetrating horizontally inside the frame width direction of the camera frame, the turtle rough frame centroid and has been that an image pickup apparatus as the vertical pivot axis. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The vertical turning transmission means is
An arc-shaped trajectory frame side surface gear train disposed on the arc-shaped frame side surface;
A pedestal side gear disposed on the pedestal side and meshing with gear teeth of the frame side surface gear train;
An imaging apparatus comprising: a pedestal side driving force transmission device that transmits a driving force of a vertical turning driving source to the pedestal side gear.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4,
  The pivot engaging means is
  The roller includes a first roller row in which a first roller and a second roller are arranged, and a second roller row in which a third roller and a fourth roller are arranged with the pedestal side gear interposed therebetween, The camera frame is supported by the side surface of the frame by each roller of the first and second roller rows, and one of the first to fourth rollers is configured to be resilient toward the side surface of the frame in a free state. Have
  Imaging device.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,
  The camera frame is provided with stepped roller ground arc edges on the outer peripheral edges on both sides of the frame side surface,
  The first roller row is located at one of the roller ground arc edges of the camera frame, and supports the camera frame with the first roller and the second roller,
  The second roller row is located on the other end of the roller grounding arcuate edge of the camera frame, and supports the camera frame with the third roller and the fourth roller.
  Imaging device.   The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
  The camera can be turned horizontally along with the camera frame,
  The pedestal incorporates the vertical turning drive source and a horizontal turning drive source for horizontal turning operation of the camera,
  A horizontal turning gear that is disposed as a transmission target of the driving force of the horizontal turning drive source, and causes the camera to turn in the horizontal direction of the camera;
  Horizontal turning transmission means for transmitting the driving force of the horizontal turning drive source to the horizontal turning gear as power for the horizontal turning operation of the camera;
  The pedestal is
  A grounding plate that contacts the surface of the object to be imaged;
  A pedestal plate in which the vertical turning drive source is disposed, and the pivot support engaging means and the vertical turning transmission means are incorporated;
  Plate support means for pivotally supporting the pedestal plate in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground plate;
  The horizontal swivel gear is located on the ground plate side between the pedestal plate supported by the plate pivot support means and the ground plate, and the pedestal plate around the horizontal swivel axis of the pedestal plate Is mounted on the pivot shaft or the ground plate so that the relative position with the ground plate around the pivot axis does not change.
  The horizontal turning drive source is disposed on the base plate together with the horizontal turning transmission means.
  Imaging device. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7,
Wherein A horizontal rotation driving source the vertical turn driving source, for each output shaft is a horizontal posture, disposed opposite to have the imaging device across the plates axial support means in said base plate.

Images